The initial start to the creation of this level was to do a ton of research into the genre I was going to make. I used Photoshop and PureRef to draw and compile a list of all my research to the point that I can draw the initial pass of how I would like the layout of the level to be like. The main inspiration of the level was the Uncharted Series. However due to the nature of it being a stealth level I also pulled in inspiration from game series like Sly Cooper and Assassin’s Creed. Doing research on those I got a general sense for common elements in level design that takes place during stealth missions.

Having areas to overlook enemies, many places for you to hide and traverse through, many options to go based on different player types, and having areas that were tense but balanced with 100% calm and safe locations. To avoid the players frustration I also had to make sure the checkpoints were all well spaced but not too challenging or a pushover to get to. The aesthetic of the level was also inspired off of Southeast Asian villages as in the Uncharted series they tend to pic more jungle environment so I wanted to stay faithful to that.

Since the level is majority white there was a much greater focus on conveyance on the level to guide the player on where to go. Shape language and colors were used heavily in this level with triangle building representing safe spaces. Contrary to pointy being dangerous in art in this the end goal which is a giant temple is in similar shape to all the checkpoints which also represent cultural icons. This iconography is what allowed the player to get used to what types of buildings to look out for. The next major type of the was framing of the paths of the level there was no part in the level where the player could get lost on where to go or how to avoid the enemies. Bread crumbing technique was also used with the locations of the enemies guiding the players to end goal.

The flow of the level also went with bread crumbing of enemies while playing a narrative role as well. As you got closer the temple it becomes more heavily guarded, so that has to reflect in enemies becoming more abundant for the player over time and not all at once. Each path tries to be a consistent amount of enemies increasing from 1 to 2 to 4 so that the challenge is not too overwhelming but also the level isn’t a complete pushover.

The things that I learnt in this level were mainly on conveyance, flow, level mechanics, and art. Since the level was all white and in the whitebox phase I had to consider that guiding the player would be more difficult as I can’t use the traditional reliance of final art in a video game.

Conveyance - I got to learn more about how even the way things are angled in a shot can lead a player. Creating iconic shots, bread crumbing of enemies, making nice iconography of buildings, and using simple colors to represent what things will effect you all these helped the conveyance to a point that playtesters didn’t have to question where to go and what to do. They still enjoyed the level a lot despite it being just a whitebox in the early stages of the level pipeline.

Flow - I created a good flow of enemies and for a stealth game it went at the ideal pace of giving the player breathing room to plan their next moves in a quick enough fashion so that they never ponder too hard or felt rush to move. The combat aspect of the game also helped with the flow since if your stealth and reflexes were good enough then you could kill the enemies so in that respect even a multitude of enemies can be handled to keep with the flow.

Level Mechanics - I also became more skilled in using Blueprints and animation states as I had to match animations with certain BPs. Even though I didn’t use the grappling hook mechanic in the final level just that mechanic alone taught me so much about some things may have to get cut if they don’t flow with the level as envisioned. The checkpoint and save system also was a great thing to learn as I got to use it both as a separate blueprint actor but also playing around in the level blueprint. Creating my own debug keys allowed much smoother playtesting of my level whether I needed to test the flow, enemies, scale, or length of the level.

Art - I gotten an even more better grasp at the art pipeline in the video game industry while also becoming better at creating in Maya. The level being made entirely in Maya allowed much more complex and detailed looking whiteboxes. This skill will make for a much easier integration of set dressing while also giving the artists when they make assets a better idea of the size and scale of what things will be like in the level.

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